I didn’t have a chance to update any more of my travelogue tonight… but I did upload this video of Tambi, an absolutely adorable 8 month old elephant.
I totally think she’d fit in my apartment. And I’m sure Justice would love her! Ok, so she’s 8 months old and already comes up to my waist… it’s not like she’s going to get any BIGGER, right? Right? Hello?
Damn baby elephants are freaking cute… I am sure she’d fit in your appartment… you might have to get rid of some furniture but I think it would be worth it :)
I want to show my kids and grandkids your death defying leap over the rocks and river,How can I access this daring deed.Love Uncle George
If you click through on the video, you can get to my user account and see any of my videos… or, just go straight here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/donnamatrix
That’s amazing. I had never even imagined baby elephants.
There used to be full-grown mammoths about that size, if you can believe it, living on an island north of Russia; they went extinct about the time the pyramids were built.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrangel_Island
There is no word for how adorable baby elephants are. Of course, I’m starting to believe that all baby animals are freaking cute. (Just wait til I get the lion pictures up. So! Cute!)
Turns out, there are lots of them. :) Elephants stay with their maternal herd (generally Right Close to Mum) until they’re about 15 years old. Males, at that point, take off and will usually go join a bachelor herd until they get older.
Orphaned baby elephants rarely survive. This is one of the things I liked about the organization we did the elephant ride with — they’ve raised several orphaned babies. They require 24 hour supervision (one of the guides sleeps in her pen with her), and can die if left alone even for a few hours. Getting a mix of formula for them that is nutritionally adequate (and plentiful!) is bloody difficult as well. Even then, you can tell the difference… Tambi isn’t an orphan, and Cheezy, the other 8 month old baby, is. Cheezy’s was *considerably* smaller than Tambi. They didn’t look anywhere near to the same age.
http://www.wildhorizons.co.za/orphans.htm